CRISIS LAB
Graduate Students
Anna Gilbert, M.S.
Anna Gilbert is a fourth-year doctoral student in the CRISIS Lab. Prior to joining the lab, she worked as a clinical research assistant with the PediMIND Program at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Anna has clinical experience as a psychometrist, conducting assessments for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. She also has experience providing evidence-based treatments for serious mental illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.
Research Interests:  Ideation-to-action models of suicide; Qualitative research methods; Social media use among individuals at risk for self-injurious behaviors; Mental health literacy
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Ben Barnette, M.S.
Ben Barnette is a fourth-year doctoral student in the CRISIS Lab. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from John Brown University. Ben has experience providing behavioral assistance and crisis stabilization to support therapeutic intervention in a day treatment program. He was selected for the US Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program and will serve three years in active duty as a staff psychologist following his predoctoral internship.
Research interests: Biopsychosocial factors impacting suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and capability among military service members and veterans, particularly justice-involved veterans. Best practices in suicide risk management and application of psychophysiological markers in the measurement of suicide risk and capability.
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Erin McMeekin is a third-year doctoral student in the CRISIS Lab. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University and was a research assistant focused on political and cognitive psychology. She has experience as a counselor at a residential treatment center providing crisis support and therapeutic skills.
Research Interests: Suicidal gestures and escalation in borderline personality disorder population, crisis intervention, emotion regulation.​​
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Erin McMeekin, M.S.
Becca Spigel is a second-year doctoral student in the CRISIS lab. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Health & Society at the University of Texas at Austin and was as a clinical research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital, managing studies aimed at improving clinical care for transgender youth and patients with eating disorders. She has also served as a sexual assault crisis counselor in Boston and case manager for survivors of domestic violence experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area.
Research interests: suicide prevention in marginalized communities, particularly those with LGBTQIA+ identities and histories of domestic violence; emotion regulation and resilience factors; qualitative methodology
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Becca Spigel, B.A.
On Internship
Janelle Y. Wee, M.S.
Janelle Wee is completing her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Her dissertation is titled: Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Sample"
Nicole Moreira is completing her pre-doctoral internship at the Miami VA.
Her dissertation is titled: "Booked or Buried in Texas: Risk Factors for Prebooking Suicide and Homicide Deaths of Individuals with Sex Offenses"
Nicole Moreira, MS, MA, LMHC-A
Yuchin (Gina) Lin, M.S.
Yu-Chin Lin is completing her pre-doctoral internship at Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts Mental Health Center.
Her dissertation is titled: "Functional and cultural values of shame: A motivator to seek help for suicidal ideation"
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Katherine O'Connell is completing her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine (Adult Track).
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Her dissertation is titled: The altruistic dilemma: Examining the intersection of Hamilton's Rule and suicide risk
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Katherine O'Connell, M.S.
Alumni
Joshua ‘Rocky’ Marks, PhD
Rocky Marks graduated in 2024 after completing his pre-doctoral internship at Utah State Hospital. His dissertation is titled: "The Survivability Hierarchy Behind Bars: Themes, Reforms, and Prevention Program Evaluations in Washington State Jail Suicides"
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He is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at P. I. E. Corp: Personal Injury Evaluations
Samantha Jacobson, PhD, LMHCA
Samantha Jacobson (she/her/hers) graduated in 2024 after completing her pre-doctoral internship at UConn Medical/VA Consortium. Her dissertation is titled: “Impact of DBT Skills Training Modules on Suicidal Ideation, Internalized Stigma, and Community Connectedness in LGBTQ+ Adults”
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She is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Center of the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle
Jingyan (Joel) Gu, M.S.
Jingyan Gu graduated from SPU with his Master of Science degree in 2021. He is now teaching AP psychology and taking care of student mental health in a private high school in Chengdu, China